Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The House Across the Lake

Outside of it being completely beyond all laws of science and logic, there's the simple fact that people's brains are capable of strange things. They split and mutate and create all kinds of trouble.

As with any Riley Sager book, this was a page-turner. However, I found it to be just okay. The twist wasn't very satisfying for me because I had read a similar one earlier this year, making it less unique. Nonetheless, the book was still decent.

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goatoro's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Interesting read so I'll start with the set up - We follow Casey, a former actress, turned alcoholic, who is coming off the tragic death of her husband, Len, who drowned in the lake where her family's lake house is located and where she is residing now (after a slew of bad publicity from paparazzi). While here Casey takes to spying on her just as famous neighbors who live across the lake from her, where she sees some troubling events that cascade into further turmoil and tension. I heavily advise going into this book while HEAVILY suspending your disbelief, it will come in handy quite a lot with this read...

I really wanted to give this book more than a 4/5 but ... the reveal that

Len possessed/inhabited Katherine's body the whole time

almost ruined the whole book for me. At first I thought maybe it would be saved by that very final twist/reveal but to no avail. In fact, that last reveal somehow saved the book a bit for me, as I would've given this 3 or 3.5/5 without it.

That being said, the first like 85% of this book was great and a very fast-paced read that I didn't always want to put down. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey this book took me on (even if I didn't like all of the outcomes) and plan to pick up this author again!

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danicarae01's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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iblamemycaprisun's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I honestly don't know what to say about this book, it starts off a bit slow and picks up around 120 or so pages in. At first I found it very interesting but the the plot takes a complete shift into a different realm and that's when it lost me. I don't mind a

paranormal

story, but when reading a mystery and the explanation for everything going on is suddenly

a ghost/possession

it feels very cheap.

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kasia_k_'s review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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wrestleacademic's review against another edition

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fast-paced

1.0

you will not see the twist coming and that is not a compliment. gritted my teeth to finish this one & not sure that was the right move!

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theimposter's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Great twists and turns! Always thought I knew what was happening and was continually surprised.

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espressoreader's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This is what happens when an author has a bunch of ideas on sticky notes and then decides to chose which one to use by playing pin the tail on the donkey. Unfortunately, the reader is the donkey in this scenario. The plot of this book was about 3 different mismatched and then mangled story arcs that were never spliced.

The alcoholism of the main character took too much time. Does it happen? Absolutely, but functional alcoholics are functional not constantly at the booze at the cost of other things, and dysfunctional alcoholics don’t make good narrators. Too much of the main character’s personality was obfuscated by the addiction. I am aware that it happens in life, but that does not render it a good person to select to guide the whole book.

Fail.

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